When a parent receives certain types of public assistance, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in the state may automatically open a child support case to identify the father (or other absent parent) of the child and enforce child support obligations. States have the option to require recipients of child care subsidies and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to cooperate with child support agencies seeking to establish paternity and support orders; and to enforce child support obligations as a condition of eligibility (child support cooperation requirements).

In Wisconsin, when a parent applies for and receives certain types of public assistance, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the state's Office of the Attorney General (OAG) may automatically initiate a child support case. This action is taken to establish the paternity of the child and enforce child support obligations from the non-custodial parent. Wisconsin, like other states, has the option to mandate that recipients of child care subsidies and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits cooperate with child support enforcement efforts as a condition of receiving those benefits. This cooperation may include providing information to assist in locating the non-custodial parent, establishing paternity, and setting up child support orders. Failure to cooperate with child support agencies can result in the reduction or termination of the public assistance benefits.